I’ve been disappointed by your editorial coverage of the Troy Davis capital punishment case. Is it not the job of journalists to view the government and its laws with a healthy dose of skepticism?

You, the professional journalists, are the people who have the time and resources to pick apart stories and pass along the most salient bits of information to us, the public, because we don’t have the means to do it ourselves.

You also have a responsibility to wrestle with ethics and morality within your editorial pages and not to hesitate to wade deep into those tricky waters. You have not done that.

Time and again, you’ve shown that you’ve lost your way by weaseling out of an important debate — capital punishment — by simply pointing out that it’s legal in the state of Georgia.

You have taken an easy way out by neglecting to ask if such a penalty helps or hinders society. That’s the question you’ve avoided asking, and you have failed in your duty to improve the public’s true understanding of the issue and what it says about our society.

My students at Savannah State University have shown a greater ability to deconstruct the issue and to understand its larger implications than your editorial board has.

MICHAEL PATRONIK

Journalism Instructor

Savannah State University

Savannah

Small businesses at their best for recent events

The past couple of weeks have given us two fine opportunities to see and experience the vitality of Savannah’s small business community.

“Fashion’s Night Out” on Sept. 8 made Broughton Street and its surrounding area come alive with entertainment, information and opportunities to visit most of its shops, stores and restaurants. Closing the streets to traffic and parking was an excellent idea, and the huge crowd responded enthusiastically.

The only time I can remember more people on Broughton Street was on St Patrick’s Day.

The “Best of Savannah” party on Sept. 15 was another event, which let us meet many of our top-rated business owners and sample their wares. It was another impressive display of our entrepreneurs’ successes.

Hats off to the City of Savannah, Savannah Magazine, Cecilia Russo and all of the others who brought these small business showcases to us. They will be on my calendar for next year.

JULES HOMANS

Past Chairman, SCORE

Savannah

Support bill, become ‘seizure smart’

Did you know that most people living in American do not know what to do if they see someone having a seizure? Yet more than 3 million Americans live with epilepsy — a condition that results in seizures of various types.

All Americans deserve to have clear, concise information about epilepsy and seizures at their fingertips and right now Congress is offering a great opportunity to help many people, including school personnel, first responders, employers and community workers, to better understand epilepsy and how to help when someone has a seizure.

With support from the Epilepsy Foundation, U.S. Reps. Jo Ann Emerson, Ed Perlmutter and Dan Benishek have introduced a bipartisan, no-money-needed resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives — House Resolution 298 — that would coordinate efforts within our government to get more information about epilepsy and what to do when someone has a seizure into the hands of people nationwide.

While epilepsy is controlled by medications for many people, for others it can be very serious and could even lead to death. That is why it is critical to support HR 298, which will help everyone to better understand epilepsy.

All members of the House should support this resolution as an important, yet easy way to support their constituents who have epilepsy. I work constantly to educate people in my community about epilepsy and seizures. Representatives should help, too.

In preparation for November’s National Epilepsy Awareness Month, I encourage everyone to become “seizure smart” and urge each member of our congressional delegation to become a co-sponsor of HR 298.

RENNE PEEK

Surgery Controlled Epilepsy Patient

Savannah

Statue of Jesus is now just an ‘eyesore’

For seven years now, since my Dad’s death, I have visited his grave in Forest Lawn on a regular basis. His grave site is right next to a large statue of Jesus kneeling.

As the years have passed, I have seen the condition of this once-beautiful statue deteriorate to a neglected eyesore. The stone bricks surrounding it are falling off and the planters are overgrown with weeds. Even small trees are starting to grow.

Surely the cost of taking care of this statue would be minimal compared to the gratification they would receive.

MARGIE SHIVER

Savannah

A rocking season for the Gnats

Savannah was certainly dressed “gnattily” this season — and last — by the superb performance of our beloved Sand Gnat baseball team.

Coming within a pitch of winning the South Atlantic League Championship against the gritty Greensboro Grasshoppers is nothing to hang our heads over, despite falling short of the win.

Having the privilege of seeing nearly all the home games and some of those away, I will always remember the class displayed by manager Ryan Ellis and his club in their quest of victories not only in the box score, but also in developing young men for the next levels.

Some will be back for more development and we want you to know that we will continue to support you wholeheartedly. Those that have earned the right to play at advanced levels do so with our thunderous applause and appreciation.

I would be remiss to not say that we have the greatest mascot in the land in Gnate the Gnat. Even in the rare event of a loss, Gnate always brought us smiles and hugs galore.

I’m sure that I speak for all Gnathood in expressing to all those associated with this highly entertaining organization, from Sandy Alderson down to the bat boys, you rock Gnats!

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alluded to the editorials SMN has done regarding the Troy Davis case. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines reporting and editorials. SSU proves that it is a viable part of the community which surrounds it unlike some other universities in this state.

Well said, Patronik. It's refreshing to read a letter from someone who knows how to think and evaluate. Obviously, the predictable curmudgeons with nothing better to do than spew their ignorance on the boards here see otherwise.

There is plenty of doubt, including an absence of physical evidence and witnesses who recanted after the trial. The witnesses claimed that the police pressured them to give false evidence. If you do not believe that the police would use extreme and unConstitution means to convict someone, you either are not paying attention or you do not care.

Countless authorities say America’s criminal justice system has collapsed. One such person is the late William Stuntz, Harvard legal scholar. In fact his just-released book, produced posthumously, is titled “The Collapse of American Criminal Justice.” Stuntz says our system is particularly egregious toward blacks and other minorities.

Just a couple of points here. First of all, he's at SSU. That alone makes his comments worthless. Secondly, he's a journalism prof. Run over to the business professors and they will tell you that what you should do is start your own paper and handle things the way you see fit.
And for all those people spouting about "doubt" in the Troy Davis case: I guess the legal expertise of the justices that looked at ALL OF THE EVIDENCE should just be pushed aside. Leonard Pitts wrote a whiny piece in today's paper listing all these other people that had been exonerated for whatever reason. The question all these "supporters" of Davis should be axing themselves is: "Well if they exonerated all these other people, why didn't they exonerate Troy?" Honestly answer that question and the matter should be put to rest.

to come unhinged over the issue of circumcision. Really? On a scale of 1 to 10 for torture (10 = being forced to listen to another Obama campaign speech), it barely rates a 1; no guy I have ever met who's had one as an infant even remembers it. Now FEMALE genital mutilation (as occurs in many Muslim countries) is an entirely different issue. How about jumping up and down about that? Or about the drugging of young American boys for "HAADD" (hyperactivity attention deficit disorder), frequently for little more than they're not as well-behaved in class as little girls?

And weasel. "the usual suspects from the Know Nothing Party come out to attack the messenger" and the usual suspects from the Know Less Than Nothing Party immediately assume that the like-minded "messengers" are always right, launching a reflex attack on all skeptics. An editorial is an opinion piece, and the editor has no responsibility to argue the case for the opposition (just read the NY Times, and you'll see that; they're all Left all the time and do not limit their opinion to just the editorial page). If you want to argue the opposition case, write a thoughtful and well-reasoned rebuttal and ask the paper to publish it as such without edits.

We just worry about different things. You want to know how can we hamstring the legal system? I'm concerned about how to eradicate the thieving, murdering,lying,rapists, miscreants and thugs.

You rejoice that they can not use the bloody clothes evidence seized in the TAD trial. I, on the other hand, think the evidence should have been admissible. If it was seized improperly then punish those responsible, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

It is always the job of a journalist to look at any story with skepticism. Without doubt you will not ask yourself some very important questions like, who, what,where, when,why and how? Essential elements of basic fact finding and reporting are to discover the story and cover each angle with supporting facts. Great journalism comes about when the reader feels enlightened and involved. Unfortunately readers of small one-paper towns have been conditioned to hearing one sided stories and are rarely exposed to true journalism ,where skepticism is alive and well.

I suppose that is why 90+% of "journalists" vote Democrat - because they're skeptical of anything a conservative says. Too bad they weren't nearly as "alive and well", when they were vetting Candidate Obama. A few basic questions like "Who were your mentors?", "What executive experience do you have?", "When did you first realize that you rejected free market capitalism?", "Where will you first go to apologize for America's past behavior?", "Why did you continue to attend a church in which the pastor routinely spewed anti-American rhetoric?", "How will you deal those legislators with whom you disagree?" might have been appropriate.

The SMN is no more one-sided than the NY Times; it's just that they're on different sides of "fair and balanced". Many liberals aren't used to having the press disagree with them (they don't consider FOXNews staff to be real journalists, even though they certainly have closer to "balanced" reporting than MSNBC).

Even left-wing MSNBC has shown the bias. It did a survey of 143 journalists prior to the 2008 election and found that 125 (87.4%)contributed to Democrat candidates only, a little lower than the numbers I've seen elsewhere for those who would actually admit how they voted.

And just whose payroll are YOU on? It would have taken you less time to find that out that bit of information than you wasted posting your unfounded disbelief. And your penchant for questioning people's integrity and IQ rather than just the facts they provide is really quite pathetic.

"What produced your utter contempt for the profession of journalism?"

Well, even before my two kids (both journalism majors) filled me in on how left-wing and anti-conservative their professors were (neither could stomach a career in their chosen major), I had noticed subtle bias in reporting. Of course, if you agree with them politically and aren't paying close attention, you might not even notice little things like running pictures of Bob Dole with a frown with those of Bill Clinton smiling warmly prior to the 1996 election. Once or twice might be a coincidence; numerous times is something else.

You are even more full of yourself than normal today. OK, circumcision is not absolutely necessary, as long as men practice a little basic hygiene (that's a big "if"). And if you're going to have one, the immediate newborn period is probably the best time (unlike some dweeb adult men, they don't run out and have sex too soon after the procedure). There is no evidence I'm aware of that shows that men circumcised as newborns have a less enjoyable sex life or are more maladjusted due to the "trauma" of the event. That is absolutely not the case for female genital mutilation, which is done, not for hygienic or religious reasons, but to deliberately diminish sexual pleasure/desire.

And, mirv I-VI, I'm unfamiliar with this "judaic medical system" of which you speak. I don't personally perform circumcisions anymore, NEVER performed one on a Jewish kid, and can't think of anything else I currently do that might be considered "kosher". You really need to get off your antisemetic kick. It's almost as bad as Obama blaming everything on Bush.

how much of his failure will be blamed on Obama. I'm truly saddened by the thought that most will simply switch places and the cycle will continue. How can every educated person out there not see this? There is but one presidential candidate that I truly believe will tell us the truth and take responsibility for his own actions/inactions. He also happens to be the only eligible congressman to reject the superfluous retirement benefits that Congress has approved for themselves...do I really need to tell you who this person is?